Editor

   
New Collage Film by Guy Maddin Commissioned by the Film Society and Stanford Live and Created in Collaboration with Kronos Quartet and Composer Jacob Garchik Reimagines One of the Most Iconic San Francisco Films of All Time

San Francisco, CA -- The San Francisco Film Society today announced that Closing Night of the landmark 60th San Francisco International Film Festival will be The Green Fog -- A San Francisco Fantasia, a new commission by the Film Society and Stanford Live in which the world-renowned Kronos Quartet will perform a new score by composer Jacob Garchik to accompany a visual collage by award-winning filmmaker and cultural iconoclast Guy Maddin. The Green Fog will take place at the historic Castro Theatre on Sunday, April 16 at 7:00 pm, followed by the Closing Night Party at Mezzanine.

"We are delirious with joy that such forces of contemporary culture have come together to create a singular new work for the city of San Francisco as a 60th birthday present to the SF International Film Festival," said SF Film Society Executive Director Noah Cowan. "We look forward to a night where we experience the city anew as one of Guy Maddin's fever dreams, interpreted through the images of myriad filmmakers who have been bewitched by the place and the sounds of the musicians that serve as our iconoclastic ambassadors to the world."

Maddin, assisted by his Forbidden Room collaborator Evan Johnson, set himself the challenge and constraint to remake Vertigo without using any footage from the Hitchcock classic, creating a "parallel-universe version," in his words. Using Bay Area-based footage from a variety of sources -- studio classics, '50s noir, documentary and experimental films, and '70s prime-time TV -- and employing Maddin's mastery of assemblage technique, seen in work like My Winnipeg and Brand Upon the Brain, the result exerts the inexorable pull of Hitchcock's twisted tale of erotic obsession while paying tribute to our fair city and the ways it looks and feels through the medium of cinema.

Composer Jacob Garchik, who was born in San Francisco and has worked with Kronos Quartet since 2006, fashions a score that collides and converses with Maddin and Johnson's irreverent and loving footage to create a distinctive musical extravaganza. Both filmmakers and composer are excited to include a live Foley element, the "Old Hollywood" method of creating special sound effects.

San Francisco's Kronos Quartet have combined a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to continually re-imagine the string quartet experience for more than 40 years. They have collaborated with recording artists including Paul McCartney, Laurie Anderson, Jarvis Cocker, Patti Smith, and David Bowie, and have performed scores by Philip Glass live for the films Mishima (1985) and Dracula(1931). At the 58th SF International Film Festival, they performed to Bill Morrison's Beyond Zero: 1914-1918. They spend at least five months of each year on tour, so it's a pleasure and a privilege to have them on their home territory for this very special event.

The performance will be followed by a rousing Closing Night Party at 8:30 pm at Mezzanine (444 Jessie Street), closing out the Festival's 60th anniversary in style with cocktails, snacks, and live DJ sets. 21 and over only.

Tickets to The Green Fog - A San Francisco Fantasia:

Film Only: $40 member / $50 general

Party Only: $40 member / $50 general

Film & Party: $75 member / $90 general

VIP Film & Party: $130 member / $160 general

Box office is now open online at sffs.org for SF Film Society members and opens February 15 for the general public.

In recent years the SF Film Society has presented dozens of film and live music pairings -- many of which were commissioned as world premieres -- at the San Francisco International Film Festival, including Vampyr with Mercury Rev; Kronos Quartet Beyond Zero: 1914-1918; Cibo Matto New Scene; The Unknown with Stephin Merritt; Short films with Thao and the Get Down Stay Down; Waxworks with Mike Patton, Scott Ammendola, Matthias Bossi, and William Winant; Buster Keaton Shorts with Merrill Garbus (tUnE-yArDs); Claire Denis Film Scores 1996-2009 with Tindersticks; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Stephin Merritt; The Lost World with Dengue Fever; The Golem with Black Francis; The Phantom Carriage with Jonathan Richman; Heaven and Earth Magic with Deerhoof; Street Angel with American Music Club; Sunrise with Lambchop; A Page of Madness with Superchunk; Jean Painlevé: The Sounds of Science with Yo La Tengo; and Tom Verlaine: Music for Film.

For general information visit sffs.org.

To request interviews, contact your Festival Press Office contact.

For photos and press materials visit sffs.org/press.

San Francisco Film Society
The San Francisco Film Society champions the world's finest films and filmmakers through programs anchored in and inspired by the spirit and values of the San Francisco Bay Area. Building on a legacy of nearly 60 years of bringing the best in world cinema to the local audiences, SFFS is now a national leader in film exhibition, media education and filmmaker services.
 
The Film Society presents more than 100 days of exhibition each year, reaching a total audience of more than 100,000 people. Its acclaimed education program introduces international, independent and documentary cinema and media literacy to more than 10,000 teachers and students. Through Filmmaker360, the Film Society's filmmaker services program, essential creative and business services, and funding totaling millions of dollars are provided to deserving filmmakers at all stages of their careers.
 
The Film Society seeks to elevate all aspects of film culture, offering a wide range of activities that engage emotions, inspire action, change perceptions and advance knowledge. A 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, it is largely donor and member supported. Membership provides access to discounts, private events and a wealth of other benefits.

For more information visit sffs.org

Stanford Live

Stanford Live presents a wide range of the finest performances from around the world, fostering a vibrant learning community and providing distinctive experiences through the performing arts. With its primary home at Bing Concert Hall, Stanford Live is simultaneously a public square, a sanctuary and a lab, drawing on the breadth and depth of Stanford University to connect performance to the significant issues, ideas and discoveries of our time.

Stanford Live includes a wealth of collaborators and partners, including Stanford academic departments and individual faculty members, Stanford students, off-campus arts institutions, and community organizations. Crucially, Stanford Live supports the university's focus on placing the arts at the heart of a Stanford education. For more information visit live.stanford.edu.